Just Love Me
by paintmeperfect
Summary: Melody had loved Kaoru since high school. Too bad for her, she didn't exist to him. It's been five years since they graduated, and as their connection deepens, Melody realizes there's more to the boy she thought she knew- and that she'd do anything to win his heart. But what happens when one night of passion leads to an all or nothing proposition?
1. Chapter 1

_Hi everybody~_

_This is my first story, so a few reviews would be greatly appreciated!_

_Thanks a ton 3_

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club. As much as I wish I did**

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"Show starts in five! Where did my model go?"

Kaoru Hitachiin looked up from his inspection of his latest dress, only to see the entire set of the fashion show in chaos.

Running a hand through his messy auburn hair, Kaoru sighed, looking around to room, attempting to locate his twin, Hikaru.

"Hikaru! We lost a model again!" Kaoru shouted as he finally found him, hunched over a stack of designs for the upcoming season.

Hikaru almost laughed at his brother's unkempt appearance. With dark circles under his eyes and hair sticking out in all directions, Kaoru looked like something out of a nightmare.

"You've been here for nearly twenty-four hours, Kaoru," Hikaru laughed, "go take a nap; I'll wake you up at the end of the show."

Kaoru shook his head wearily, "I can do this Hikaru. I designed half these dresses," he replied with a yawn, "I want to see them walk down the catwalk."

Designing clothes wasn't just a job for Kaoru. Being a designer was what he was born to do. He was the best man for the job. It wasn't arrogance.

It was the truth.

After graduating from Ouran Academy, Hikaru and Kaoru took diverging paths in their family business. Where Hikaru chose the business aspect of the company, spending hours in his office pawing through balance sheets and income statements, Kaoru became the main designer, travelling across Japan in search of inspiration for his new creations.

Kaoru understood that fashion was not simply stitched up patches of cloth- it was a philosophy, each article a masterpiece in its own right. "This is my show," he thought to himself, "I can do this."

Tiredly stumbling over to the set coordinator, Kaoru unknowingly bumped into one of the many frantic models who were running around, attempting to piece together their outfits.

"Oh no," he heard the girl cry, before the entire set went quiet, stopping to stare at the catastrophe he had brought on. The girl, dressed in the centre piece of the show, a long, flowing white dress made of Japan's finest silk, now had a tea stain running from her collar down to her waistline. The soft white fabric that had been so carefully ironed and stitched was ruined beyond repair.

And it was all Kaoru's fault.

Kaoru felt the air clog in his lungs as the tension grew so thick, he could barely breathe. _The dress.._. Kaoru thought as the room began to spin_, my dress..._ Kaoru took one last look at his ruined masterpiece, before stumbling back to find Hikaru.

* * *

"Kaoru, you've been in that dressing room for an hour already! The shows about to end, you need to get out here!" Kaoru heard Hikaru shout.

Kaoru knew that it was his responsibility to end the show. But somehow, he couldn't bring himself to walk out on stage.

"You go, Hikaru," he replied miserably.

"Kaoru..." Hikaru began, before cutting himself off. He knew what his brother was going to say if he attempted to argue. "Okay, Kaoru. But you have to come out eventually, you know."

"I know, Hikaru," Kaoru replied softly, "thank you."

Sitting on the cold, concrete floor of the change room, Kaoru realized that for the first time in years, he didn't know what to do. The only thing that was clear was that he had messed up, and at the moment, he was no longer needed.

He heard Hikaru faintly in the background, thanking the audience for coming to the fashion show. "I should be at home," Kaoru thought to himself. "I should have been home hours ago." But he didn't. He didn't go home because he had nothing- no one- to go home to.

Over the past few years, Kaoru had pushed himself harder. Worked longer hours. Designed more dresses. But for some reason, they were empty victories.

Lately, he'd been thinking more and more about why that was, if it had something to do with coming home to an empty house. No wife. No kids. Perhaps it was seeing Hikaru so happy with Haruhi- watching them grow as a couple and Hikaru slowly need him less and less.

Hikaru and Haruhi had gotten married right after high school, much to Tamaki's chagrin, and moved into their own apartment that was closer to Haruhi's law office.

Kaoru was happy for his brother and Haruhi, and while he admittedly once had feelings for Haruhi, those feelings were quickly overshadowed by the joy he held for his brother, in finding his special someone.

But where did that leave him? He was now twenty three years old, rich, attractive, yet had never felt more alone.

So far, however, he hadn't met anyone he could imagine wanting for the rest of his life. There was, after all, only one Haruhi.

His last girlfriend, Mitsuki, had been a financial analyst that worked almost as many hours as he did. She'd been decently attractive, moderately caring, but, like the many girls who had come before her, could never tell the twins apart. That one simple failure had crossed her off his list forever.

The truth was, looking back, all of his girlfriends blended together: smart, attractive, mature, sensible.

Boring.

Grabbing his coat off a nearby chair, Kaoru strode out of the building, attempting to escape as quickly as humanly possible.

"Kaoru," he heard someone call, however, as he neared the exit. He turned around to see a model standing behind him, a shy smile plastered onto her face.

"Since we've finished the show for tonight, I was wondering if..." She stammered.

Kaoru smiled. For a moment, he considered it. He wasn't seeing anyone at the time, and it had been so long since his last girlfriend. But he discarded the idea as quickly as it came. Pretending he was interested in her seemed far more work than it was worth.

"Maybe next time," he replied as politely as possible before scrambling into the limo that was parked outside, waiting for him. Looking out the tinted windows, he smiled as Hikaru and Haruhi piled into the limo in front of his, smiling and laughing, unaware of his current anguish.

Back in high school, Kaoru knew whom he would turn to. But Hikaru was busy with Haruhi at the moment, and Kaoru didn't want to be a bother.

So instead, Kaoru turned to a person he knew he shouldn't have. He couldn't have.

Instead of turning right at the intersection, he told his driver to turn left.

He was headed straight to Melody.

* * *

Melody walked into the living room carrying a bowl of popcorn and a slice of cake, and squished herself in between Hunny and Mori. A half hour ago, she had called up two of her oldest friends, pleading for them to come over- she had even promised Hunny some cake. She was just so bored.

Of course, she was thrilled with the success of her family's clothing line, and loved spending time with her cousin, Haruhi, and between the rest of the host club and the few guys she dated, Melody almost never sat home in front of a TV. But when she did sit in front of the TV, she didn't have to do so alone, now did she?

Still, even Hunny and Mori's antics got old after a while. Particularly because they weren't the ones she really wanted to have in her living room.

The problem, so far, was that _all guys _she met seemed to be _the wrong guy_. She had been dating since she was fourteen but she'd never been in love with any of her boyfriends. Not even close. Maybe, she had started to think, some people were just meant to fall in love- like Haruhi, who had fallen head-over-heels for Hikaru after their first date- and some people weren't.

In any case, even if Melody was missing the love gene, she could still enjoy her night in with Hunny and Mori.

In the middle of the movie, with Hunny yawning himself to tears and Mori focused intently on the unfolding plot on the screen, Melody began to think. Something had changed this year, as she approached her twentieth birthday. No, not something. Someone.

_Her._

She had changed. Out of the blue, found herself thinking about all the things she'd never really cared about before. She wanted love. Real love. Someone to come home to at night. Someone to laugh with. Someone to share new things with.

_Kaoru._

Damn it. Why couldn't she control her thoughts about him?

Back in high school, it had started as a secret crush, a little girl spying on a big boy with a sly smile and bright, amber eyes. And it had turned into an obsession. A stupid, pathetic obsession that only got worse every time she visited the host club.

Melody had transferred to Ouran Academy a year after Haruhi, and had been instantly entranced by Kaoru's sly smile and his cool, composed nature.

It was too bad their families were arch enemies- or at least as close as it could get to that in the fashion industry.

With competing companies, they somehow managed to be friends, but to imagine anything beyond that was unthinkable. Although she had been easily accepted into the host club, Melody had never been as close to the twins as she was to the other boys.

Beyond pissed at herself, she reached over Mori's lap to grab a handful of popcorn, and was about to shove it in her mouth when-

_Ding Dong._

She was cut off by the doorbell.

Melody furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. It was nearly midnight- who in their right mind was knocking on her door _now_?

Squeezing her small, five foot three frame out from between Hunny and Mori, she stumbled over the door and yanked it open.

It took her brain longer than it should have to register the fact that Kaoru Hitachiin was standing in front of her. Long enough for him to take her completely unaware with his hands on her shoulders.

And his mouth on hers.

Kaoru's kiss was electric, making everything in the world disappear until it was just his lips on hers. It was hungry, like a man who'd been starved for days, finally given the chance to eat, and finding an open buffet table in front of him. He was devouring her.

Kaoru wasn't asking. He was _taking._

Melody had imagined this moment a hundred times. A thousand times. And yet, even her wildest fantasies couldn't hold a candle to the beautiful reality unfolding in front her now.

She moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, only to-

"Kao-chan, what are you doing here?"

Melody jumped at the sound of Hunny's voice. She had completely forgotten about them.

"Hunny- I…"

"We were just leaving," interrupted Mori, scooping Hunny up in his arms before stalking out the door, leaving both Melody and Kaoru in an awkward silence.

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_I hope you enjoyed my first chapter! If you did, please leave a review! I'd love to hear what you think!_


	2. Chapter 2

Hi Everybody!

First, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Chibisensei for the review~ I suppose one review doesn't seem like a big deal to you, but to me, it meant a lot. So thanks~

AND. Just a heads up- I contemplated changing the rating to M. I can assure you that there's nothing explicit, but it's implied. Thought I'd give you fair warning~

Now, without further ado, here's the next chapter of JLM!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran~

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Melody Stevens was one of the most vibrant, outgoing, and alluring women Kaoru had ever met.

Even though she was only a few years younger than he was, Melody always stuck him as too young. Too raw. Too trusting. Kaoru didn't date girls like her- he didn't see the point if there was no future in it.

Holding Melody to his chest, Kaoru mused how she and Haruhi could be even remotely related: they looked nothing alike. Haruhi was flat as a board, with pixie-like chestnut hair that framed her innocent smile. Melody, on the other hand, was all curves, with a sea of hair so blindingly blonde, it could easily be mistaken for white if she were standing in the sun, and a smile that always seemed to be carrying a challenge, a taunt, a dare.

Their differences stretched beyond their looks. Haruhi, one of Kaoru's most trusted friends since high school, was the most caring, generous, giving person he'd ever met.

Everything about Melody just screamed _TAKE_.

And yet, she was the only person he could bring himself to face that night. Was it because he knew she wouldn't judge him- or even feel a twinge of pity- as his world seemed to be imploding around him?

Or, he asked himself, was it purely physical?

From the moment his lips had touched hers, something akin to fire had shot through his veins. It was sick the he could feel this way towards someone he should have, according to his mother, hated beyond all else. Someone who- he told himself- he didn't necessarily like very much. Lord knew what lies he had been telling himself since high school.

But none of that mattered right now.

He was so sick of being the nice guy. Of being Hikaru's kind, younger brother. He was tired of fighting what he felt for Melody. And he was sure as heck not giving up what Melody seemed to be offering so freely.

He was disgusting. And getting worse by the second. Had the circumstances been different, he wouldn't have been here. He would have put practicality first and lust second. But at that moment, he couldn't bring himself to care. He was physically worn, mentally exhausted, and quite frankly, didn't have the energy to stop himself from hurling head first into a brick wall.

A beautiful, blonde brick wall.

He drank her in with his eyes, looking for a challenge, a refusal, a sign. Watching her watch him, Kaoru saw a flash of uncertainty in her eyes, mixed in with a hint of desire. But the uncertainty quickly vanished, leaving behind her habitually feisty attitude.

Kaoru held her gaze, silently acknowledging the question in her eyes- why now of all times, especially considering they didn't necessarily have the best relationship?

Since Haruhi and Hikaru's marriage, they had been forced together at various family gatherings- lunches, dinners, holidays, birthdays. Where one Hitachiin went, all Hitachiins went. But being completely honest, Kaoru had never made a particular effort to be nice to her. Not when he'd made up his mind about her years ago.

Melody was a selfish, spoilt little girl, living off the fortunes of her kind, caring cousin, Haruhi, never giving anything in return.

Still, he couldn't keep out the voice in the back of his head, cooing, _are you sure that's why you didn't like her? Or was it because you knew that if you got a piece of her, you might never get enough? Because you might like her more than you're willing to admit?__  
_  
_Stop._ Why was he thinking like this today? He needed to stop listening to the voice of reason. Just let loose. The catastrophe at the show tonight had changed him into a different man- not one he would necessarily like to wake up as tomorrow morning- but one who knew exactly what he wanted.

_Melody._

For the first time in the twenty-three years of his existence, he didn't feel guilty at all.

What did it matter anyways? Hikaru had never played by the rules.

Hikaru had always been the adventurous one. The playboy. He'd gone through girls like a box of tissues, using and discarding them, never the same girl twice. But even he had found true love. He had a wife. A family. Kids. He was happy.

And now Hikaru was all alone. What had being the nice guy gotten him?

A few _"perfect" _girlfriends, none of whom he could bring himself to love, and a job that would have him going grey within the next year.

The dark side of him reared up, and Kaoru didn't bother fighting it.

"Tonight is different," he told Melody, staring intently into her eyes. "Tonight, everything is different."

"Yes," Melody managed to choke out, before his mouth descended on hers again.

One touch of her lips against his was all it took to undo him.

He had signed his deal with the devil.

* * *

Curled in the living room, surrounded by a pile of cake crumbs and popcorn kernels, Melody felt Kaoru shift beside her, attempting to pull his arm out from under her small frame, so that he could slink out of the room before she woke up.

Melody felt her heart start pounding. Hard.

Melody knew that in reality, what Kaoru was doing was right. He would stay on his side of Music Room 3, while she stayed on hers. He was right to leave. Whatever happened between them had been wrong. So very wrong.

But it had felt so right.

"I love you, Kaoru," she felt herself whisper, before she could stop herself.

Kaoru's movements underneath her instantly stilled.

* * *

Kaoru woke up sprawled on the living room floor, with Melody snuggled comfortably on his chest. With her lips just inches from his, her soft breath brushing his cheek, he wanted nothing more than to continue where they had left off last night.

Just as he was about to give in to his perverse desires, however, he heard a whisper.

For all it was worth, she may as well have been shouting.

"I love you Kaoru"

If she hadn't said those words, Kaoru could have pretended that she didn't matter. She could have been like any other woman he'd been with...

_Damn it_.

But she wasn't just any other woman. She was Melody Stevens. She was his business rival. She was Haruhi's cousin. And she thought she was in love with him.

_What had he done?_

* * *

_Just a few seconds, _Melody thought to herself, as she felt Kaoru slip out. _Just a few seconds and he'll be back._

Only, the next thing she knew, she was alone. And the worst part was, he didn't even say anything.

Anger quickly replaced the shock she felt as the darted towards the front door, only to see him halfway out already.

"You're leaving," Melody stated. She didn't know if she could squeeze out any other words without screaming or crying. Or both.

"Yes," stated Kaoru simply. He was an empty, unreadable mask of the man he had been only a few short hours ago.

_Well, _thought Melody_, if that's the way it was going to be_. Melody didn't want to hear an apology.

After all, he hadn't taken anything from her.

_Except_, a small voice in her mind chimed, _maybe your heart._

Melody turned on her heel and stalked back into her house, doing everything in her power to forget last night had ever happened.

* * *

Kaoru went straight home to shower, before speeding off to his office building. All the while, he replayed the events from this morning.

"You're leaving," Melody had said. What she probably meant to say was something along the lines of "screw you."

She'd deserved a better goodbye. Or simply a "goodbye," considering he hadn't said anything at all. He'd just upped and left like a coward.

Striding into his office, Kaoru noticed the lack of papers on his desk before he noticed Dr. Kagawa, one of the Ootori family's private therapists, standing in front of him.

"Good morning, Master Kaoru," she said with a smile, "Your mother, Mistress Hitachiin asked me to come see you."

Kaoru had barely set foot in his office when he was hit with "you have been deemed too tired to work. Mistress Hitachiin has requested you take a few days off." Handing him his leave papers, she quickly strode out of the office, fearing the young Hitachiin's wrath nearly as much as she feared her boss, Kyoya's.

Kaoru was left in shock_. Too tired to work?_ Picking up his phone and quickly dialling his mother's number, and was saved the expense of waiting when she picked up on the first ring.

"Kaoru, I've been expecting your call. I spoke to Hikaru last night. Did you speak with Dr. Kagawa yet?"

"I did, Mom, but how-"

"Did you think I wouldn't notice that it was Hikaru on stage instead of you? When's the last time you slept? Slept for real?"

Kaoru couldn't help but smile. "Last night." _It technically wasn't a lie._

He heard his mother sigh into the phone. "You know I hate doing this to you Kaoru, but sometimes, this industry gets the best of all of us. You're taking four weeks off."

Kaoru wasn't sure he heard right. _Four weeks?_ He may as well sign his death sentence on the spot. How would he survive being all alone, and not working, for four whole weeks? "One week," he countered.

"Four."

"Mom-"

"Go visit the mansion in Karuizawa! You loved it there back when you went in high school... Kaoru, I want you to be happy."

And with that, the line went dead.

Kaoru thought that was as bad as it got- until he looked down at his walking papers. _Mental health leave_. Kaoru was fuming. _There's nothing wrong with my mental health_, he thought, as he picked up his bag and stalked back to his car.

Kaoru was still fuming half an hour later, as he was speeding down the highway, probably just a little too fast.

As much as he wasn't willing to admit it, Kaoru knew that he had completely derailed. He had no idea how he was going to survive the next four hours, let alone the next four weeks.

His mother's words kept ringing in his ears. _I just want to you be happy, Kaoru.__  
_  
The problem was, he didn't think he knew how to anymore.

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-and that's chapter two, folks-

Comments, questions, coincadinks? Positive or negative, if you have any feedback, I'd love to hear it!

Thanks for reading~


	3. Chapter 3

Hey Everybody~

I'm sorry this chapter's taken so long. With all the exams and stuff going on, I was completely wiped. ANYWHO. Thanks for reading up this far- I know the story's been moving pretty slow, but it'll pick it up soon. Promise.

Here's chapter three~ hope you like it!

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran.**

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Melody walked up the Hitachiin's ridiculously long driveway and rang the doorbell. Knowing, however, that the neighbourhood was so safe that Haruhi and Hikaru rarely locked the front doors, she didn't wait for an answer and simply let herself in.

"Auntie Mel-belle!" Melody heard as she closed the door behind her. Haruhi's four-year-old daughter, Karin, came barrelling down the hallway, throwing her tiny body into Melody's. "Tag, you're it," she cried, before quickly scrambling away.

Gosh, Melody loved that kid. Karin was the belle of the ball, in more ways than one. With Haruhi's gentle beauty and Hikaru's devilish good looks, she was a heartbreaker- even at her young age. And to top it off, she was funny and smart, lighting up the room like the sun as soon as she walked in.

Laughing as she followed Karin down the hall, Melody found Haruhi standing in the kitchen, surrounded by a sea of grocery bags, consoling her crying son.

Ichirou was almost three now, and although only a year younger than his sister, he was a thousand times more sensitive. "But momma," he sniffed as Haruhi handed him a Kleenex.

Hoping to distract him from whatever was wrong, Melody jumped forward, yelling "Ichirou!" His watery eyes peered up from his mother and settled on Melody. His tear-stained cheeks curved into a smile, upon seeing her and, unlatching himself from his mother, launched into Melody's arms.

"There's my baby nephew," Melody said, lifting him up. Haruhi gave her a grateful glance.

"I'm not a baby," replied Ichirou.

"No, of course not," Melody stated with a smile, "you've gotten so big! What have you been eating? Bricks?"

Ichirou laughed, his previous worries easily erased. "No, silly," he replied, "I eated a sandwich." Ichirou loved proving her wrong- he loved proving everyone wrong. The mirror image of his father. And his uncle.

Hitachiin men. They were all the same: too cute to deny, but far too full of themselves.

"You're it! You're it!" Karin yelled as she ran by again.

"Okay, I'm just going to tell your brother a little secret first," Melody said.

Karin's eyes went really wide. "What is it?" she asked, her game of tag quickly forgotten.

"I need to talk to your mommy for a few minutes, and then when we're done, I'm taking everybody out for ice-cream."

Ichirou all but jumped out of her arms to do a happy dance with his sister. "I want to go right now!" he declared, "right now!"

The Hitachiin boys and their demands.

_Right now._

_Tonight._

She shivered at the ever-so-potent memories of the previous night, as Haruhi looked over in concern.

"Melody, are you all right?"

Working to push Kaoru out of her head for five seconds, Melody smiled at the kids and pointed to the clock on the kitchen wall. "When the little arm hits the five, we'll go, alright? Karin, you know how read time, don't you?"

Karin puffed up her chest. "Of course I do." And then she grabbed her brother by the arm and said, "let's go play _host club. _You can be King Tama-chan. I'll be Kyo-chan, so I can do all the math stuff for you."

Stepping over grocery bags, Haruhi hugged her quickly, and then pulled her over to one of the bar stools tucked under the granite-topped island.

"What's wrong?"

Oh no. Why had she come here? What was she thinking? Haruhi was going to kill her. Or Kaoru. Or both. Either way, her cousin was going to be worried sick over the whole situation.

But the thing was, even though Melody knew all those things, she had to talk to someone about what had happened. She needed her best friend. Who just so happened to be Kaoru's best friend too.

"Something happened last night."

Haruhi's worried look morphed into pure fear. "Are you okay?"

Melody wanted to nod, tried to say yes, but the truth was she wasn't sure she was actually okay. With one night, Kaoru had completely shifted her world, so absolutely that she hadn't just been to the moon and back, she'd been to the stars and beyond. For one night, she'd felt special. Cherished.

But then he'd left, at least as cold as he'd ever been to her.

Colder, even.

"Oh, Melody, if someone hurt you, I swear I'm going to-" Haruhi already had her phone pulled out, with Hunny's number on speed dial.

Melody quickly cut her off. "No, it's nothing like that." She paused, took a deep breath, knew she needed to spit it out already before Haruhi had Hunny, and the rest of the host club, on the line.

"Kaoru came over."

Haruhi frowned. "Kaoru came over?"

Melody nodded.

Haruhi cocked her head to the side, still clearly confused by what Kaoru had to do with anything. And then, suddenly, her eyes went big.

"Kaoru came over," Haruhi said again, more slowly this time, as her brain tried to decode the ramifications of the statement.

Melody gave another nod, at which point Haruhi's eyes grew even huger and her mouth opened and closed a couple of times without any words coming out.

Melody was glad for her cousin's lack of words because it meant that she could spit out the rest of it as quickly as possible.

"The thing is, aside from the obvious, I did something really stupid."

Shaking herself out of her momentary shock, Haruhi put her warm hands over Melody's cold ones. "Okay. So I know that this is a big deal. A huge deal. But that doesn't mean it was stupid, Mel."

If only that was all that happened.

_I love you, Kaoru. I love you so much._

How could she have said those things to him? How could she have even though them? Or dared to feel them in the first place?

"It was beyond stupid," Melody insisted.

"I'm sure he won't tell the rest of the host club," Haruhi said softly, totally misunderstanding.

"No, that's not what I'm worried about."

"Then what is it?"

Melody took a shaky breath. "I told him I loved him."

The silence between them grew until it was thick enough to cut with a knife. Finally, Haruhi whispered, "Oh, Mel," then hugged her close.

Haruhi's pity made her feel a hundred times worse. As if it as starkly obvious to every last person on earth that there was no point in Melody loving Kaoru because they could never end up together.

"What did he say?"

Melody shook her head. He hadn't said anything. He'd just gotten up and left. But she remembered his eyes as he stood by the door. He looked like he couldn't take it in- not because he hadn't been expecting her to say it, but because he didn't want her to.

Haruhi's voice was gently as she asked, "How long have you felt this way?"

Melody shrugged. She couldn't tell Haruhi about her secret obsession during high school. It would rock the entire foundation of the host club- not that it was entirely stable in the first place.

Haruhi wasn't letting it slide that easy. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

"No! Please don't!" Melody shook her hard. "All I want to do is forget it ever happened."

At that point, someone could have told her that the world was ending and she wouldn't have batted an eyelash. Not when she had just told the world's biggest lie. She never wanted to forget her night with Kaoru. It had been the most perfect night of her life. So horrible that she hadn't been able to stop three horrible words from spilling out of her mouth.

"Somehow, Mel, I don't think that's going to work. He's Hikaru's brother. That, and with the monthly Host Club reunions that Tamaki's holding, odds are, you're going to have to see him again pretty soon."

Melody put her face in her hands. "I know. I'm so screwed."

Haruhi got up from the stool and starting pacing. "No, I refuse to believe that. In fact, maybe it's a good thing this happened. You know, for the two of you to finally get your feelings for each other out in the open."

Melody looked up from her hands. "Hate to break it to you, Haruhi, but not everybody can have the same happily-ever-after you did."

But Haruhi's eyes were already bright with plans and hopes. "You're amazing. You love him. He's got to know how lucky he is. He's got to. He probably just needs some time to get used to the idea of being a part of a couple."

This was the kind of conversation eye rolls were invented for. "Even for you, Haruhi, that is a shockingly misplaced vote of confidence. Do you really believe for a second that Kaoru wants my love? That he would even consider being with me?"

Haruhi immediately go angry. "Don't talk about yourself like that! He's the luckiest guy on earth to have you!"

Deciding they were officially past the eye roll, Melody simply sighed. "So in your version of reality, the heir of the multibillion dollar fashion line has always wanted the daughter of his business rival to be his one and only?"

"He showed up at your door last night, didn't he?" When Melody nodded, Haruhi asked, "Has he ever come by before?"

"No. Not since the time you and Hikaru left for France and ended up getting married."

A few years ago, Melody and Kaoru had concocted a plan to make sure Hikaru and Haruhi, who clearly belonged together, didn't screw things up. It was the last time they'd really sat down and talked- including last night.

"He must have told you why he showed up."

"Nope."

"And you didn't ask him?"

"We didn't exactly have room for a lot of questions."

Haruhi pretended to put her hands over her ears. "I'm not sure I can listen to any more the details."

Melody leaned forward on the counter and said in a hushed tone, "Well, first-"

At Haruhi's horrified look, she started laughing, incredibly glad for the chance to feel some lightness for just a few moments. "Just kidding. You know I don't kiss and tell."

"Who's the unfortunate guy this time?" Hikaru said, walking in at the tail end of her sentence, carrying a basketball.

Haruhi lit up when she saw her husband. Melody was momentarily forgotten as Hikaru pulled Haruhi into a hug. A while later, Haruhi shot her a questioning look.

_NO! _Melody shot back silently.

All she needed was for Hikaru to find out about her and Kaoru. She'd never hear the end of it from her obnoxious brother-in-law.

The kids came barrelling into the kitchen a second later. "Daddy! Aunty Mel-belle is taking us for ice-cream!" Karin yelled as he squatted down and she threw herself into his arms. Ichirou was right behind her. "Ice-cream! Ice-cream!"

After telling them how excited he was about their good fortune, he shot Melody a scowl. "Nothing like a bunch of sugar to really make things easy on their parents."

"You're welcome," she said with an unapologetic smile she knew would irk her sister's husband.

Haruhi looked at the clock and frowned. "I thought you and Kaoru were meeting to play basketball?"

"He stood me up, so I picked up a quick game with the rest of the host club."

Haruhi glanced at Melody. "Is there something up with Kaoru that you haven't told me?"

Hikaru didn't seem at all concerned he opened the cupboard and pulled up a container of instant coffee. "He probably has another meeting with some designer or something. You know how crazy his schedule is."

As soon as he left to take a shower, Haruhi picked up the phone. "I've got to call Kaoru- make sure he's okay."

Melody leapt up to grab the phone. "No, please don't call! This is already so embarrassing, if you call him, you'll end up saying something about me. I know you will!"

"I promise I won't, Mel, but he's one of my best friends. I have to find out what's going on."

Less than a minute later, Haruhi put the phone back down on the counter. "He didn't answer at home or at work. And his cell phone said that his voice mail is full. This isn't like him, Mel."

Melody already knew that. Clearly, the only reason why he'd come over to her place was because something was very, very wrong. She hadn't gotten around to asking that night, and he'd gotten out that morning before she could ask.

Haruhi wasn't the only one worried about Kaoru. Even though he'd walked out on her, Melody was worried too. And no matter how tempting it was to try and pretend nothing with Kaoru had happened, she knew she couldn't pull it off.

Not when, despite knowing better, despite the fact that her heart was only going to keep breaking apart, the truth was as painfully clear as day.

_She really was in love with him._

Head over heels.

"Karin, Ichirou, let's go get ice-cream!" The kids ran back into the room. "I'll bring them back when they're full to the brim with ice-cream," she told her cousin.

And then, she was going to find Kaoru.

To find out what was going on.

* * *

And that's chapter three!

Thanks for the reviews- it was great to know that you liked my story :)

And I'd love it even more if you left another review! So please leave a review- even if it's to criticise me for my various typos.

Thanks a ton!

And to all you Commonwealth countries, have a safe and happy long weekend!

XXX


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everybody!**

I am SOO sorry this update took so long. I promise chapter 5 is gonna be up before the end of this week. Pinky swear!

Anywhoo. This chapter has a few innuendos too, so brace yourself.

And lastly, I just wanted to give a HUGE shout-out to the amazing people who favourited, followed, or reviewed JLM. It means so much to me that you took the time out of your busy day to read my rambles.

Now. ONTO CHAPTER 4!

**Disclaimer: I don't Ouran. But Melody is mine~**

* * *

Now Melody knew there was something very _very_ wrong. Kaoru didn't vacations. He worked.

Melody was a bit of a workaholic herself, but at least she knew how to have fun. How to kick back, let loose, and let her proverbial stick in the mud slide a little.

The drive out to Karuizawa was stunningly beautiful. Melody tried to imagine Kaoru strolling through the markets, camping out in the forests, or simply relaxing at a resort.

_He must be going crazy._

It hadn't been hard to find out where he had gone. She'd simply called Kyoya and demanded an update. And Kyoya, being Kyoya, knew right off the bat.

Melody suspected Kyoya knew something about her and Kaoru, but if he did, he hadn't let on, so she'd let her suspicions slide- at least for now.

Maybe she had stretched the truth a little- convincing Kyoya that her urgent need to talk to Kaoru was due to some imminent emergency in the fashion industry, but frankly, everything felt like an emergency. _Everything since he'd left that morning._

Following the directions given by the robotic voice of her GPS, Melody turned off the highway and saw the cerulean blue of the ocean winking out at her through the trees, the refreshing trees calling her towards them. She could imagine herself, perched on a bluff with her sketch pad, already coming up with a new fashion line filled with greens and blues.

But she wasn't here for fashion. She was here for Kaoru.

And she was here for herself. Because if there was even a remote possibility that they could-

_No. Don't think like tha_t, Melody scolded herself. _You know better than anyone how this is going to turn out.__  
_  
Pulling up her car behind Kaoru's at the Karuizawa resort, Melody paused to take a breath, inhaling the refreshing scent of earth and sunshine.

Melody, while spontaneous, was not stupid. She knew what she was walking into. Kaoru was going to hate that she was here. He was going to know that she knew something had gone wrong at his latest show. And odds were, he was going to take it out on her.

The question was- how?

Never one to back down from a challenge, Melody squared her shoulders and marched in, demanding to know Kaoru's room number.

Heart racing wildly, just with the thought of seeing him again, Melody raced to his room, throwing open the door to see him sitting on the balcony with a cup of instant coffee.

"This place hasn't changed at all. I haven't been here since we followed Haruhi here in high school."

"What are you doing here?"

He'd asked the question without even turning to look at her. It was as if he had a preprogrammed manual of how to tick her off. But he didn't seem necessarily surprised that she'd shown up. Almost as if he'd known she would come all the way down to find him.

Melody felt her throat clench, so she said the easiest thing she could think of: "Haruhi was worried about you." She inwardly cursed at herself for being a coward.

"And I'm worried about you."

Still not turning to face her, he replied in a flat, deadpan voice. "You need to go."

Melody almost laughed. He knew better than anyone that she wasn't going anywhere. Walking around his spacious suite, she stated, "I've been meaning to take a vacation. I'll take it here."

She saw a muscle in his jaw twitch. "I don't have time for your games, Melody."

"That's funny. From what I heard, you have nothing but time. Four whole weeks of time."

In a flash, he was up on his feet with his hands on her shoulders, pushing her towards the door. "You're leaving. Right now."

Melody wasn't scared of him. Even though his furious expression and steel-hard grip suggested that she should be.

"I'm not leaving. Not until you tell me why you came over to my house. Not until you tell me what's wrong."

"I'd gone through all my models. You were passably cute."

_Ouch. That one hurt._

She saw a flash of guilt in his eyes, but it was quickly extinguished and replaced with the furious expression he'd been wearing earlier. What happened to the Kaoru she knew? And why couldn't she just let this whole thing go, and skimp back to her old life, without Kaoru and all the complications he brought?

Melody already knew the answer to that._ Love._

"And now, I want you to leave me alone."

There was a hardness beneath his words- a lifelessness that broke Melody's heart. Not because of the indifferent attitude he was treating her with- although she did admit there was a little bit of hurt bubbling up- but because it was so painfully obvious how much Kaoru was hurting. She couldn't leave him. At least not like this.

Emphatically looking around the cabin, Melody sighed, saying "it looks like you have plenty of room here. Besides, you wouldn't turn out family, would you?"

"Don't go there Mel," Kaoru warned darkly.

"Where else would I go, Kaoru? Maybe I'll just go to Tamaki's house and tell him how I came all the way down to see you, only to-"

Half expecting him to throw her down the balcony at this point, Melody was pleasantly surprised when he cut her off with a kiss. He tasted like instant coffee.

_Will I ever get enough of him?_ Melody thought to herself_. No. Never._

When they yanked themselves away from each other, Melody was the one looking away, refusing to meet Kaoru's eyes.

Because for the first time in her life, Melody cared too much. And her heart was going to get ripped open because of it.

_Love sucked. Especially when it only went one way._

"I'll let you stay on one condition," Kaoru muttered darkly. "Nobody else ever figures out about this. About us. Outside of these walls, "us" does not exist."

_Ouch._ _Message interpreted: Melody would be nothing more than a booty call for him._

Despite the ache in her heart, despite the fact that he hadn't said one nice, kind thing to her since she'd arrived, despite he hadn't even bothered to apologize for leaving her house without a goodbye, Melody wanted this.

But for some reason, she couldn't just give Kaoru everything but the kitchen sink at his command. She wanted more than just a fling- something to take his mind off his current predicament- she wanted something real. A little part of her heart actually felt like it was breaking. This time, entirely for herself.

Kaoru leapt at her hesitation. "Swear. Now. Or get out."

Hardly able to believe her fingers were trembling- when was the last time she had felt this nervous, this unsure? - she placed her hand over her heart. "I promise," Melody said, as she waited for Kaoru to say something- anything. He stood there as if he had turned to heartless stone and watched her vainly trying to suppress the shivers that went down her spine.

"The full thing. Swear it to me, Melody. On your mother's grave, swear to me that nobody ever finds out about us."

She swallowed and shook her head. It was at that moment she realized something shocking: this fling, or whatever it was, wasn't going to be enough. Not for her. Even if he acted like they were simply "friends with benefits," she had to know that at least a small part of his heart was involved. And if it turned out that it wasn't, well then she was going to have to do the hardest thing imaginable- she was going to have to walk away from Kaoru, and any chance of a future togeth-

_No. _She needed to stop doing that. Needed to stop imagining that there was even the slightest chance that he could fall for her.

Still, even if he was never going to fall in love with her, she couldn't risk being his booty call if there wasn't a chance at their being friends after everything was over. After this craziness had finally come to its inevitable end.

Her heart felt like someone had been kicking it with steel-toed boots as she said, "You don't like me."

She read his surprise at her abrupt statement loud and clear. It wasn't what she planned to say, but now that she had, she couldn't hide from the truth of it.

"I like sleeping with you."

_Oh wow. That one actually hurt._

But what had she expected him to say? _Oh no, Melody. I absolutely adore you._

As if.

"I love it too," she said softly, desperately trying to mask her spiralling emotions. But she couldn't. She could feel her cheeks falling, her lips starting to quiver despite her attempts at control. "So that's all this is?"

A flash of anguish flickered across his face. And then, instead of answering, instead of breaking her heart the rest of the way, instead of grinding it to dust in between his fingertips, he moved closer and brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face.

She blinked up at Kaoru, knowing she should leave, telling herself to leave, but then his mouth was on hers and it was such a gentle, sweet kiss that she simply melted into him.

Thank gosh. She didn't have to leave him.

* * *

He wasn't alone.

Melody had dropped everything in her life to come here to be with him. She'd given her body to him, then given him her heart as well. And even after he'd walked out on her the night before without one kind word, she'd come to find him. He didn't need a flashing billboard to see how much she cared about him.

And in return, he was hurting her. Over and over again, he was lashing out at her, making sure to let her know that to him, she was equivalent to a cheap call girl.

When the truth was she was anything but.

When the truth was that he didn't want her to go.

When the truth was that even after only ten minutes together at the resort, he knew if Melody left, he'd feel the echoes of her everywhere he looked for the next four weeks.

_Maybe for the rest of his life._

The power of these realizations had him reeling.

Her mouth was so soft beneath his. Last night, they had been too caught up in the moment. Their lips had been rough, both of them drunk on the dizzying passion in the air. Now, he had the time to learn the curve of her lips, the sweep of her tongue.

Pulling back just far enough for the tips of their noses to brush, he whispered, "I like you. More than you know."

Now she was the one kissing him. If Kaoru could, he would have told her how sorry he was, but his emotions were still too tangled, a jumbled mass of letters he was unable to formulate into words. Lightly stroking her hair, he murmured, "You're beautiful."

Right now, he wanted so desperately not only to give her back what he'd taken from her the night before when he'd been completely out of control, he needed to give her the most important thing of all.

His trust.

The question was, could he do it?

* * *

And that's the end of chapter four!

I hate to be one of those people who beg for reviews, but please, please, please review!

Thanks a ton!

XXX


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi Everybody!**

_I am so sorry that this is so late again! With exams coming up, I've been over-the-moon busy._

_Anywho~_

_Huge thanks to Chibisensei and OuranGirl for the reviews! Your feedback means the world to me!_

_Now. Onto Chapter 5!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kaoru, or the rest of Ouran. Sad, I know.**

* * *

Melody was a good girl. She was the kind of girl boys took home to their mothers and said, "Mom, this is the girl I'm going to marry." They would take one look at her caring blue eyes and smooth blonde hair and instantly fall in love with her.

Had the situation been any different, Kaoru may have been one of those boys, marching up to her doorstep, flower bouquet in hand, awkwardly fidgeting with his tie before meeting his future father in law.

_It really is too bad that that's never going to happen, _mused Kaoru, looking down to her cerulean eyes.

* * *

Melody watched the myriad of emotions flitting across Kaoru's face.

"It doesn't have to be this hard, Kaoru. It's just you and me."

Wanting to help him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to hers. She felt her emotions building up from her belly, filling her heart until she felt it was ready to burst. Even though she knew it was coming, and even though she knew she shouldn't say it, she simply couldn't stop herself.

"I love you, Kaoru."

She could feel his breath against her lips, his heart beating as wildly as hers, against her chest. She waited for him to say something. Anything. Melody wasn't a fool- she knew he wasn't going to say it back- not now, and possibly, not ever, but she needed to hear him say _something._ Instead, he just stared down at her, lowering his head until the tips of their noses just barely grazed each other.

Melody felt connected to him like this- as connected as she could get. Somehow, this small gesture seemed infinitely more intimate than their previous night had been. Whereas last night had been wild and crazy, a whirlwind of dizzying passion and soaring emotions, this felt real. Tangible. Like Melody could hold onto this moment forever.

"Melody…" he started, reaching up to the top button of her blouse.

_Oh no,_ thought Melody, as she felt tears suddenly prick at her eyes. _Not now. This is finally happening. I finally have Kaoru. Why am I crying? I knew he wasn't going to say it back anyways. What we have is purely physical._

Ducking her head so that he wouldn't see-even though he already knew she loved him and, really, what more was there to give to him?- she was surprised to feel his warm, calloused fingers on her chin, tilting her eyes up to look at him.

"How can you love me?"

His voice came out as a broken whisper, the raw pain emanating from his simply sentence. Melody was taken aback by the depth of his torment, by the fact that he didn't seem to know how truly amazing he was.

Still wrapped in each other's arms, Melody reached up, running her fingertips down his cheek, tucking a stray lock of auburn hair behind his ear. "Well firstly, you're the most beautiful man I've ever seen."

When his mouth creased into a frown, Melody new that now wasn't the time for teasing- for easy lines she could feed to any guy.

"I love you because you're good." Lost in her emotions, she unconsciously took a step forward, squeezing out what little air there was left between them until they were pressed tightly together.

"I love you because you're honest.

I love you because when I see you with Haruhi, I know you won't let anything happen to her.

I love you, Kaoru, because of who you are, and because of everything you do."

She loved him despite the fact that she knew he would never return her feelings. Despite the fact that, even if there was the slightest chance he did, who they were- and who their parents were- would forever keep them for being together. Despite the fact that, throughout her entire tangent, he had just watched her with cool, guarded eyes.

Hating her endless stream of tears, Melody fought desperately to retain what little dignity she had left and pull her emotions together.

The next thing she knew, he had pulled her closer against him- if that was even possible- and his lips landed on hers once again. His mouth was hard against hers, harsh and demanding, yet _oh so good._ Somewhere in her love-muddled mind, she heard Kaoru say, "You're amazing, sweetheart," before crushing their lips together once more.

_That's progress, _thought Melody. _He called me "sweetheart." _She knew that it wasn't anywhere near an "I love you," but at least he wasn't pushing her away anymore.

At least now, they were in this mess of emotions together.

* * *

Kaoru padded quietly to dining table of his suite. Melody was still asleep, and he hadn't the heart to wake her.

_I never want this to end, _he mused to himself, before abruptly cutting off his thought.

_What was he thinking? Of course this was going to end._

Eventually, the four weeks would be over, and he'd return to his life, and Melody would return to hers. They would avoid each other at family gatherings, just like they had before, occasionally mustering a "hello," or "how have you been" every few months or so.

Kaoru would go back to running Hitachiin Industries, and Melody would go back to running Stevens Incorporated. Two people, running two companies, living in two different worlds.

He heard the shower start, signalling Melody was awake. Kaoru mentally shook himself, reminding himself that no matter how sexy his sister-in-law was, his lapse would have to come to an end in the very near future. Even so, his brain kept replaying what she had said.

_I love you because you're good._

_I love you because you're honest._

_I love you because of who you are, and because of everything you do._

The most amazing thing of all was that she could say those thing when he all he was doing was hurt her. He wasn't being good. Or honest.

All his life, Kaoru had been the "good guy." He had a role to play. Hikaru was older- therefore, he was the "dog," and the "player." Kaoru had taken the opposite side of the stick, choosing to be the good guy. The honest guy. The safe guy.

It wasn't until last night with Melody that he'd stopped being what people expected him to be, and was able to rediscover the man hidden beneath the driven, hardworking designer who never let anyone down.

But he was letting Melody down. He knew he was, with the way he was using her- not just her body, but her emotions as well.

And still, she thought she loved him.

He didn't see it, nor could he possibly comprehend why. How.

Didn't begin to understand why his chest seemed to constrict every time she was close. Why his stomach did summersaults every time he looked at her. Why it felt like all the air was being squeezed out of his lungs each time she said "I love you."

He and Melody shouldn't fit together so perfectly. She wasn't supposed to feel like the missing piece of him. Not when anyone could see that the two of them were all wrong for each other.

Completely, impossibly wrong.

But it was hard to think about anything when she was so close.

He loved the way she smiled, the way she laughed, the way she seemed to brighten even the darkest, gloomiest corners of his soul.

Taking a seat at the table, Kaoru closed his eyes and heard Melody humming to herself in the shower. He felt his lips curve into a smile. His muscles had been so taut since the night before at the fashion show. It wasn't until today that he felt at peace. His mind, previously running at a million miles a minute, finally seemed to stop racing.

Kaoru crossed his arms behind his head and, for the first time in a long time, drifted into a comfortable, relaxing sleep.

* * *

Melody walked into the kitchen to see Kaoru asleep in a chair. She knew how hard he drove himself, knew how exhausted he had to be, and was glad that he felt comfortable enough to all asleep with her not once, but twice, even with the sunlight streaming in..

She, on the other hand, felt much to amped up to sleep. It was one thing to tell him she loved him. It was another entirely to lay it out in such painful clarity as she had last night.

There was no way she could ever take her secrets back. No way she could ever back away from the emotions that were now floating around the room, settling like dust. From this moment on, he stark emotional admission would always be between them.

Covering him with a blanket, Melody pulled on a hoodie and went outside to get her sketchbook out of the car. During the hardest times in her life, when she felt like her insides had been twisted into knots, the only chance she had of making it through in one piece was if she was putting her feelings down on paper- one image at a time.

So that's what she was going now, at this resort in Karuizawa, with Kaoru sleeping at the kitchen table. Even though she already knew that, this time the problem was much bigger than her pencil and paper.

* * *

_And that's chapter five! I hope you enjoyed it!_

_If you did, please remember to leave a review- I'd love love LOVE to hear what you think!_


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everybody!**

_Oh dear, it's been a while since I've updated, hasn't it? Well now that school's out, I can promise at least a chapter every week!_

_Thanks to all my amazing reviewers! Your feedback means the world to me~_

_Now. Onto chapter 6!_

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran. But I do own this amazing box of cookies sitting next to me as I type. My muse~**

* * *

_Gone. She can't be gone._

Kaoru sprang up from his chair, flinging his blanket across the room, looking for something_- anything_- to indicate that Melody was still there. Her clothes were gone. Her bag was gone. _She was gone._

Kaoru felt as if a fist was closing around his chest, making it impossible to breathe. His mind was racing a million miles a minute as he barrelled out of his suite, nearly knocking down various resort guests on his mad dash out the front door of the resort. He was close to having a panic attack until he burst out the front door to see her perched on the balcony, sketchbook in hand, head bent over as her pencil gracefully arched across the paper as she captured the vibrant colours of Karuizawa.

_She's beautiful, _thought Kaoru, watching her eyebrows furrow as she gazed into the distance, trying to capture the exact green of the seemingly endless meadows. _How had I missed this for all these years?_

Or had he?

Kaoru's brain spiralled back five years to their graduation- to Hikaru and Haruhi's wedding, which they had helped plan together. Hadn't there been something there? An attraction he hadn't wanted to acknowledge because she was too young. Too immature. Too overly sexy.

Her pencil stilled on her paper, signalling she had sensed his presence.

Turning her head to look at him, she smiled at his state of distress. In his haste, he'd forgotten to put on a shirt, and she could already see a hoard of teenage girls craning their necks out windows to get a better look at him. "It's been a while since I've had a figure-drawing class, Kaoru. You'd have caused a riot. For the girls and the boys."

Kaoru looked down on himself and shook his head. He hadn't even noticed. All he could think about when he woke up was Melody. If she had left.

Or if she had made her choice to stay.

Closing her notepad, she stood up and said, "I'm starving. By the way you're dressed, I'm assuming you haven't had breakfast yet."

"Oh. Right. Food."

Kaoru was still in a daze. His head was still spinning and he was having trouble concentrating.

Waltzing past him, Kaoru caught a whiff of vanilla shampoo.

"I'm going to check in with the kitchen staff. It's been so long since I've been here. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Following her into the kitchen, Kaoru stood in the doorway, watching her maneuver around the kitchen. This gave him the chance to see her in a completely different light. He'd never thought of her as someone who knew how to boil water, let alone whip up omelets.

Minutes later, she was skipping out of the kitchen, two full plates in hand. Coming to sit beside him at a table, she smiled and said, "All-nighters always make me hungry," adding in a wink, just to see the shock flash across Kaoru's face.

"This is great." It was the best omelet he'd ever had. "Where'd you learn to cook?"

"Thanks," she said, "Haruhi taught me when we were kids. My parents were out a lot, and she figured that since we were fending for ourselves, she wanted to make sure I never starved if she wasn't around." Looking back, her parents were hardly ever home, and most of the time, they hadn't bothered hiring a nanny or a babysitter. Most of her childhood had been spent with Haruhi and a few toy dolls.

Reflecting on his parents' absences, Kaoru said, "it must have been hard for you."

Melody shrugged. "Haruhi took really good care of me. Better than the few nannies that lasted over a few weeks."

He knew what she was doing. She was trying to act tough. That was what he'd always done. What he was still doing.

"Still. I always had Hikaru. And there's a difference between a cousin and a mother, Melody."

"Don't feel sorry for me. I'm fine."

"Are you?"

Her fork stilled halfway to her mouth. It started shaking in her hand and she dropped it to the plate in obvious frustration.

"What is it with you that has me wanting to spill all my secrets?"

He didn't' know. But he did know that he wanted to be there for her. For now, at least, while they were spending time together. _Later…_he wasn't going to think about what would come later, but her didn't want to have to think about the aftermath of getting so close to Melody. And then not having her in his life anymore.

"Tell me, Mel."

He realized that he hated to see her close herself off to him. That he much preferred the way she looked when she was in her arms, totally open, totally pure in her confession of love. Whether or not he believed that her loving him was even possible.

Needing to let her know she could trust him with her innermost feelings, he said, "I want to listen to you."

She stared at him in silence for long enough that he found himself fighting the urge to fidget in his chair.

Finally, he saw her come to a decision. To trust him.

"Even when I was a little girl, I knew how strong I was. I never needed my parents around- not that they were ever around much anyways. I knew I'd figure things out, no matter what happened. Haruhi was always the emotional one. The soft one. Like I said before, I was so glad that she had you to protect her." She paused, took a deep breath, A breath that quivered a little and shifted something inside of Kaoru's chest- the wall he'd built around his heart so long ago. "But the thing is, sometimes my whole tough girl act gets a little old, even for me. Especially when it's what everyone expects from me, all the time."

He should have been amazed to find out that she wasn't nearly as invincible as she seemed. But then, hadn't he already seen it for himself? When he kissed her and there were tears streaming down her cheeks as she confessed her love, wasn't se just as vulnerable as anyone else?

His voice gently, he said, "it shouldn't matter what other people expect from you. You should be able just to be yourself."

She looked out the window, watching the cherry blossom trees swaying gently in the wind. "I don't know who else I can be." She turned and gave him a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You, for example. You've always thought I was a brat."

At this point, he knew better than to try and deny it. She'd know he was lying. And the one thing he knew for sure was that he didn't want to ever lie to her.

"You're right. I did. But that didn't mean I wasn't impressed by you at the same time."

Kaoru was feeling guiltier and guiltier about the way he had treated her since last night. Before that, even. And now, when she was being so brutally honest with him, he felt absolutely _horrible. _

"I don't want to hurt you, Melody."

She blinked at his abrupt statement, her mouth dropping a bit before she managed to catch it, before her lips curled into a sly grin.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you if you get too rough."

Kaoru felt blood rushing to his cheeks. But he wasn't talking physically. He really didn't' want to spell it out like this, but with Melody, it seemed like there was no other way. Not if it meant lying to her, or making promises that he couldn't keep.

"You being here means a lot to me, Mel. More than I can express. But it's not going to work."

She cocked her head to the side, acting like she didn't know exactly what he was saying.

"It?"

She was forcing him to be as brutally honest as she'd been.

"Us. You and me."

She licked her lips, dropping her eyes to his mouth. "I think we work together pretty darn well."

_Focus, _thought Kaoru._ Now is not the time to think of Melody like this._

"Look, I've never been more physically compatible with any other woman, but-"

"But what we're doing is purely physical?"

He felt like the world's biggest douche.

"Right," he forced out. Douche didn't even begin to cover it.

She didn't look angry, _thank gosh, _but he hated the slight downturn of her mouth.

"Because you're you, and I'm me?"

Again, he had to force out a "Right."

She stared at him as if daring him to look away. "I don't buy it."

_What? _He'd just told her he couldn't see any future with her and she was questioning him? Any other woman would have gone running to the hills. But Melody wasn't any other woman.

Despite himself, his respect for her bumped up another level.

And a flood of relief that he hadn't seen coming flooded through him as she said, "I think you like me a lot more than you want to admit. And don't tell me that if I leave right now, you won't be coming back to my place in the middle of the night."

Kaoru saw warning lights floating above her head. Partly because he was afraid she could be right. Partly because he didn't want her to be right. He'd always been in control. Always.

Somehow, Kaoru felt as if as far as Melody was concerned, he'd never be in control again.

"That. Right there," he said in just as challenging a voice as she'd made her previous statement, "that's exactly why we could never be a couple."

Melody arched an eyebrow. "A couple, huh?"

Kaoru rolled his eyes. She was almost as frustrating as Tamaki. "You aren't listening to me, Melody."

"Yes, I am, Kaoru."

"Dang it, Melody. You're not!"

He never raised his voice. Especially with her.

"Actually," she replied sweetly, "I thought I listened to you pretty well. Especially when you-"

"That's another thing. I don't do things like this."

Melody almost laughed. "Things like this? Like move in with somebody you just hooked up with the night before?"

Kaoru smiled, before catching himself and asking, "Wait, how many times have you done this?"

"Done what?" Melody asked, batting her eyelashes innocently. She was having way too much fun with this. "I never pegged you for the jealous type, Kaoru."

Kaoru sputtered, unsure of how to respond.

Melody laughed at his attempts, finally cutting him some slack and admitting, "I've never done this before. No one but you."

Unable to understand, he had to ask, "Why?"

She looked him straight in the eye and said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Because you needed me."

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**Ouran Girl: **I don't think I've ever actually thanked you, so thanks. You're always one of my first reviewers for each chapter, and your feedback means so much to me~ So thanks a ton.

**Kirarya: **Oh thank you~ I was afraid my writing was long and ramble-y, so your review means a lot to me. Thanks for reviewing!

**Deligate Flower: **Thanks! I'll do my best!

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_And that's chapter six! Please remember to leave a review! I honestly can't express how much your feedback means to me._

_~thanks a ton~_


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everybody!**

_Oh dear, so much for updating faster, huh?_

_Anywho. LOOK AT THOSE FIFTEEN REVIEWS! I think I'm going to go throw myself a party, because I love you guys so much. Really. You have no idea how great it was to get so many reviews._

_Fair warning- this chapter is edging towards the fluffier side. Just a heads up._

_Now. Moving on. Here's chapter 7! Enjoy~_

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran or Kaoru or any other of Hatori Bisco's amazing creations.**

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There were so many things she wanted to ask him. But there had already been far too many revelations at this table.

"Come on. Let's go outside. I want to go down to the dock before it gets dark."

Without waiting for his agreement, Melody headed out the door and down the steep of stairs that led down to the dock. Her body, he brain, felt tingly. Jumpy. Like with every word out of her mouth, with every secret she hadn't intended to reveal, she was changing into someone else.

And suddenly she knew for sure that the woman she'd been last night and the woman she'd be when she left in four weeks would be very different people.

_Thanks to Kaoru._

At first, she didn't hear his footsteps on the path behind her. She was nearly at the water before they finally came.

Clearly, he was having a hard time. But what else was bothering him so much? It was what she intended to find out.

Her feet bare, Melody walked down the dock and sat with her feet hanging over the edge, toes just barely skimming the water. For being such a city girl, she had always loved nature. In fact, she rarely worked out in a gym, preferring to go for a hike or an open-water swim.

A gentle wave came in, and as the water frothed over her feet, she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Cold?"

"Come here and feel it for yourself."

When he didn't sit down beside her, she smiled and patted the dock next to her. "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe."

She realized the hugeness of what she'd said as his eyes bore into her, as serious as she'd ever seen him. She tried to open her mouth to make a joke that would minimize it, but nothing came. Because she'd meant it. She would keep him safe.

_If he'd let her._

Finally, he came forward and kicked off his shoes. Sitting down beside her, he reached over and took her hand, as he stared out at the water. And the incredible thing was, even after all the incredible things they'd done together the past few nights, his simply holding her hand was the most wonderful thing of all.

Together, they sat at the edge of the dock, in complete silence, holding hands. Melody wanted to memorize this exact moment. The slightly rough skin of his palm against hers. The smell of the water and the trees and the fresh air. The sun completing its arch in the sky and beginning to set on the horizon, painting the sky a mosaic of colours.

And how numb her feet were.

"I can't feel my toes anymore."

She was glad to hear him chuckle. "Me either."

Not letting go of his hand, she said, "Let's g walk some circulation back into them."

Perhaps if she'd been someone else, the perfectly sweet woman that Kaoru thought he belonged with, she would have simply been content to enjoy his company out on the dock. Bit since there wasn't a chance of that, she said, "Do you like being a designer?"

His hand tightened on hers at his surprise at her question. "Of course I do."

"What else do you like?"

Another tightening.

"There isn't a lot of time for anything else."

_Okay, _Melody could see that this wasn't getting very far. _Maybe another tack._

"Why did you become a designer?"

"What is this, twenty questions?"

"I just realized that even though we've known each other for so long, we don't even know much about each other, do we?"

_Except for how perfect we are together._

"No," he said slowly, "I don't suppose we do."

But when he didn't answer her previous question, she said, "Was it for Hikaru?"

He tried to pull his hand away. But she refused to let him get away that easily. Just as she'd refused to let him say what they were doing could never be more than physical. Even if it was probably the truth when everything was said and done.

Because there was no denying that what went on in the middle of the night in her apartment, what happened between them under the protective roof of the Karuizawa Resort had absolutely nothing to do with the real world.

But just because it was fact, didn't mean she had to like it.

And it didn't mean she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"When we were back at the resort, you told me you wanted to listen. I want to do the same for you." When he remained silent, she said, "As an only child, I never had to consider anyone else when I took over the business, but since Karin was born so early, and Hikaru couldn't travel…"

"Damn it Mel. I don't want to talk about it."

He wrenched his hand out of hers and turned away to head back toward the resort.

Her heart broke for him, for all the pain he'd kept bottled up inside for so long. And even though she knew she should let him go, leave him alone like he wanted, she couldn't simply walk away from him.

Calling out for him over the sound of the lapping waves, she said, "I only have one more question, Kaoru. And then I promise I'll go."

He stopped. _Thank gosh. _He turned back to her, his face a stone mask.

"You already know I love you. What else do I need to do to get you to trust me?"

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_Oh gosh. _No one but Melody would stand there and ask him that. No one wold dare.

Then again, he never let anyone in this close. It had never even been a possibility until now.

_Until Melody._

They stood there, facing each other in silence long enough that the sun moved completely below the horizon. It wasn't until he could barely make out her face in the darkness that he finally admitted, "I don't know." His heart was pounding so hard he could hardly say, "But I do know that I don't want you to go."

And then she was across the dock, in his arms, saying against his lips, "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

Her mouth was soft and sweet. Just like he was surprised to find out, she was. _Sweet. Soft. Warm._

They stood there in each other's arms, content to stay together.

Lowering his head to hers, Kaoru whispered, "I need you." His statement seemed so raw. But so true.

There was no victory in her eyes at his admission of need. Just love.

"I know you do. And I need you too."

There was no anger in her voice. No hint of an I-told-you-so lurking behind her eyes.

"I want to love you, Melody."

Again she said, "I know you do."

Something about what she'd said made Kaoru pause. He'd initially said it to get her back to the resort, but now, her realized, he wasn't just talking about the physical. Like he was talking about his heart. _Was he?_

The impossible question fell away when she smiled, lifting her lips to meet his again. The world seemed to fade away as they stood there on the dock, wrapped in each other's arms.

How could he ever go back from her? How was he supposed to move on from her? How was any other woman supposed to match up to her?

"I don't even know how you're doing it," he found himself muttering.

"Doing what?" she asked, a little breathless just from his proximity.

He tried to figure out how to put it into words, into something that made sense when nothing made sense anymore. "Changing everything" _Even the things he hadn't thought needed changing._ "So fast."

"You're doing it too, Kaoru," she said, reaching out to place a hand over his heart. "Changing me. I've never said I love you to anyone else. But with you, I just can't seem to stop."

Her words rushed through him, her love pushing up against every wall he'd ever built. It was instinctive for his brain to push back, to tell him to take a step back.

And he would. He had to. For both of their sakes. Because he still believed what he'd said at breakfast, that the two of them were too different to ever truly be together.

But he couldn't walk away from her now. Not yet. Not when his emotions seemed to be soaring so much higher than his common sense.

Her words kept bouncing around his head. "I love you, Kaoru- I love you so much." It was all he could think about, all that seemed to matter.

_And all that he wanted to hear for the rest of his life._

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And there's chapter 7!

**OuranGirl- **it's happening- soon. Promise! Thanks for reviewing!

**BrokenSoulofDarkness-** they'll be together soon! Pinky swear! It'll happen... eventually. Thanks for reviewing!

**Melanie-Says- **Oh thank you. Your reviews- both of them- brought the biggest smile to my face. Thanks for reviewing!

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Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please remember to leave a review!


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